52 



RECREATION. 



winter. At all events, this bird, confined 

 to a small area and on the verge of extinc- 

 tion, deserves and requires the attention of 

 all interested in bird protection. 



WOLF TRAPPING. 



Mr. E. M. Marschfeldt, of Casper, Wyo- 

 ming, writes thus to the Casper Derrick: 



"I have discovered that late in the fall, 

 after the young birds are grown, almost 

 every wolf pup taken is ill fed and thin, 

 taking the bait readily; and no trouble is 

 experienced in trapping them. In other 

 localities at the same time of year they 

 work just the other way. The little 

 scamps refuse to be caught by the most 

 tempting bait, and when I get an occa- 

 sional one I find he has been living on 

 the fat of the land, has accumulated a good 

 surplus and appears larger and better de- 

 veloped. This as well as other telltale 

 signs left on the loose dirt of the trap 

 beds leads me to conclude that the pups 

 from a young mother, a first litter, are not 

 so well taken care of as those of an older 

 wolf and the milk supply being less lib- 

 eral are not so well fed. This again has a 

 tendency to make the pups in a first litter 

 greedy and eager to obtain food. They 

 will pick up anything edible as soon as 

 they find it, thus simplifying the trapper's 

 work. The Baby wolves or coyotes, which 

 have had the care of an old and ex- 

 perienced mother, are tough propositions 

 for an inexperienced trapper; for they are 

 not greedy, and, gingerly approaching the 

 bait they play with it some time before 

 finally picking it up. While playing they 

 go through much the same performance 

 as a dog or a kitten would. Ly- 

 ing on their stomach, they reach 

 with one paw for the meat, trying to draw 

 it toward them. In this manner they fre- 

 quently spring a steel trap without being 

 taken. After wolves once find a trap in 

 this manner they seldom forget the lesson 

 and will not approach a place where the 

 surface of the ground has been disturbed 

 or where there is the faintest scent of a 

 trapper. 



"I remember one instance where an old 

 coyote found every trap set for him, even 

 those that were handled with the greatest 

 care. To put out traps so the animal 

 could not smell them seemed impossible, 

 and I admit I had to acknowledge defeat. 

 At the time I was corresponding with an 

 old friend of mine, a professional trapper. 

 On telling him of my troubles he sent me 

 a bottle of liquid, which he claimed was a 

 perfect deodorizer. With this liquid the 

 traps and chains were painted, and more 

 than once it was instrumental in the un- 

 doing of a cunning old wolf. 



"Cattle will often find a trap and spring 

 it. Then wolves coming along find it ex- 



posed and at once associate the smell of 

 the bait with the danger. This finding of 

 traps by wolves makes them more cunning 

 and harder to take, as it shows them the 

 location of the traps. 



"Another source of annoyance is the 

 frequent changing of the wind. All wolves 

 approach bait against the wind. The first 

 thing to observe, therefore, is the direc- 

 tion from which the wind generally blows. 

 This is mostly from the Northwest, and 

 the trap should be placed about 18 inches 

 to the Southeast of the bait. 



"Naturally as soon as the wind changes 

 it also changes the direction taken by the 

 animals in approaching the bait and ren- 

 ders the setting useless. This can only be 

 overcome by surrounding the bait with 3 

 or 4 traps, which, however, is undesirable; 

 for so many traps can not be imbedded in 

 the ground without disturbing the appear- 

 ance of the surface, and wolves do not 

 take kindly to these changes. 



"Regarding the bait best adapted for 

 wolfing, there is a great difference of 

 opinion. I believe small pieces of antelope 

 meat with pieces of skin still hanging to it 

 is best. Diseased carcasses, with few ex- 

 ceptions, are useless. Wolves will not 

 take such meat unless very hungry. 



"Keep your traps free from rust and all 

 strong smelling substance; do not stake 

 them down, but fasten to the clog instead. 

 Do not use any chemicals for scent. They 

 require intricate knowledge and experi- 

 ence. Unless the trapper is expert the 

 simplest way is always the best. Set the 

 clean trap at the base of an ant hill, bed- 

 ding the clog in the hill itself. After the 

 trap has been cleaned out and washed in 

 clean water do not touch it or anything 

 at the setting barehanded." 



This is good advice on trapping, but it 

 contains a strong suggestion of law break- 

 ing. It is contrary to law to kill antelope 

 in 6 of the Western States at any time 

 and should be in all the others. There is 

 an open season of but 2 or 3 months in any 

 of the States, and wolf trappers work most 

 of the year. Is it possible that Mr. Marsch- 

 feldt kills antelope in close season and uses 

 them for wolf bait? If so I trust some 

 League member may soon be able to catch 

 him at it and run him in. — Editor. 



NOT FOND OF HAWKS. 



Correspondents frequently argue in fa- 

 vor of the protection of hawks and owls. 

 There is another side to the question 

 which I desire to present. 



The marsh hawk is classed in books as 

 harmless, and is supposed, to feed prin- 

 cipally on meadow mice. Last spring I 

 was trying to locate a family of Cooper's 

 hawks that had been taking my chickens. 

 In crossing a swamp a hawk went 



